Crawley Green & Wenlock Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The knowledgeable staff team creates a high-quality environment where all children thrive. The environment is inclusive and nurturing, which supports all children to settle and build trusting relationships with staff. This starts from the initial home visits, where staff play with children and begin to build connections. At the setting, if children become unsettled staff use photos taken at the home visit to offer support and comfort. Staff talk of the positive impact of home visits on children's settling-in time.

The leadership team creates a highly ambitious curriculum for all children. There is a clear emphasis on communication and language. Staff use a wide variety of communication tools, including communication boards, photos and the spoken word. This ensures all children can join in and have a good understanding of expectations of them. As a result, all children make outstanding progress, including those who speak English as an additional language.

Staff are clear about their expectations of behaviour for children. They create activities, which engage children for long period of time, and this leads to a calm environment. Staff always deploy themselves effectively across the setting. As a result, staff can intervene when disputes arise, and remind children of the tools they have to solve these independently.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The quality of education is outstanding. Staff have excellent knowledge of their key children and use this to create inviting activities which engage children. Assessment and tracking are implemented by staff to the highest standard and gaps in individual children's learning are supported through tailored interventions. This helps all children make superb progress.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make exceptional progress throughout their time at the setting. Staff work closely with parents, signposting them to additional services which not only support the child, but also their family. Early identification of any other needs allows staff to implement strategies quickly. This allows time for these strategies to make a positive impact for children. All staff have opportunities to extend their knowledge of SEND and specific areas of the curriculum.
• The leadership team has an excellent understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the setting. They set ambitious goals for improvement, such as continuing to build on relationships with new feeder school teachers. The leadership team shares their focus with the whole staff team, allowing everyone to be committed to the setting's journey.
• Staff build on children's knowledge of the cultures of children in the setting.
• Children have access to a wide range of resources, which are embedded into play, and it is evident that this is part of their general practice. Staff are confident in ensuring that, due to the wide range of cultures and diversity within their setting, all children feel welcomed and celebrated.
• Staff promote children's oral hygiene in excellent ways, for example through on-site teeth brushing. Using relevant songs, staff join children in brushing their teeth for an appropriate length of time and ensuring their brushing is effective. Staff comment on the significant improvement in children's knowledge of good oral hygiene since this was introduced.
• Exceptional parent partnerships support children's learning and development. Parents talk fondly of the relationships their children have with the staff team. They feel lucky to have a place at the setting and return with siblings. Staff regularly share development information with parents and provide them with clear strategies for supporting learning at home. The leadership team accesses charity organisations to help provide food, clothing and toys to offer support for those who might need it.
• School readiness is embedded throughout the curriculum from the moment children start in the setting. The leadership team works closely with feeder schools to share information with teachers. The leaders then share this information with the staff team and implement it into their curriculum.
• The inspirational leadership team continues to strive for excellence. They work closely with the staff team to mentor and strengthen their practice. Practitioners complete high-quality training which they successfully embed into practice. As a result, children have access to a high-quality provision where they develop the skills they need to support their future learning.